Coal Valley officials have approved an agreement with Geneseo Communications, Inc. to bring fiber optic internet service to the village.

At its Wednesday, May 4th meeting, the Coal Valley Village Board approved an agreement with Geneseo Communications, Inc., the areas premiere all fiber-to-the-premises provider, the approval to construct a community fiber network that will include powering its village offices. The contract includes fiber communication services and installation of necessary equipment.

Through Geneseo Communications state-of-the art fiber infrastructure, consumers will have access to internet speeds of up to 1 gig and will have access to a full suite of business communication services ranging from scalable hosted IP business class phone solutions for small and medium businesses all the way up to customized network services tailored to the specific needs of larger customers.

“We are excited about this partnership with Geneseo Communications, Inc.,” said Coal Valley's Village Administrator Annette Ernst. “Expanding our infrastructure with access to high-speed data services is key to being a competitive community. Having this fiber optic service in place will allow the village to further market as a place to setup business. With the next generation of upload and download speeds we hope to attract ‘data driven’ business upstarts looking for access to the highest possible data speeds.”

Matt Storm, Geneseo Communications, Inc. General Manager, said: “Coal Valley’s village leaders recognize that fiber optic service is a vital infrastructure necessary to position the village for growth and long-term vitality. This fiber optic service will offer them unlimited bandwidth and will truly ‘future proof’ the village of Coal Valley. Because of the incredible capacity of a 100% fiber network, broadband enabled services like telecommuting, distance learning and telemedicine will be possible."

The Village of Coal Valley will also be one of a handful of communities nationwide with the distinction of being a “Gigabit” community opening the door for economic development opportunities. The company expects to begin offering fiber service to the city offices of the Village of Coal Valley yet this month with immediate plans to expand to other Coal Valley business locations.

Geneseo Communications, Inc. is recognized as the areas leader in high-speed internet and communication services providing data, voice and managed services in local, and extended area markets through its high-quality advanced fiber-optic network.